The sugar snaps are up! There are little green sprouts in my garden! In fact, there are a lot of little green sprouts in my garden. And not all them are the same. Some of these little sprouts must not be from the seeds I planted. Which are sugar snaps and which are weeds? Which are the plants I want to grow?

I have a friend who is excellent at weeding, who has offered to help. Perhaps I should ask her. Maybe she can distinguish between the wanted and unwanted sprouts.

The garden itself provides some clues. I planted my seeds in rows. Similar looking sprouts all in a row are probably sugar snaps; the outliers are probably weeds. Over time, I’ve gotten better at distinguishing between the different green sprigs (practice makes perfect!), but I still have to examine them to tell.

Probably the best first step is to learn what young sugar snaps, as well as young clover and crabgrass, look like. That would make distinguishing between them easier. Ask google; read a book; talk to people who know. Perhaps I should do the same when I am having trouble distinguishing what is growing in my life. Ask God; read the Bible; talk to a minister.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. I John 4:1

Do I even pay that much attention to what is growing in my life? It is tempting sometimes to plant the seeds and walk away. It would be easier to assume that any idea that came to me while reading the Bible came from God; that all my motivations were pure; and that no weeds had invaded my garden. But if I examine them, I know that not every voice I hear is the Holy Spirit’s; that sometimes I have an agenda and a bias; and that not all those sprouts are sugar snaps. I need to be careful.

Of course, I wouldn’t be struggling with crabgrass and clover if I hadn’t started a garden at all. They would still be there, of course, having their way in my yard; I just wouldn’t be concerned about them. Isn’t this the way of life?

In God Calling, the authors write: “Remember too, it is only struggle that hurts. In sloth, spiritual, or mental, or physical, there is no sense of failure; but with action, with effort, you are conscious not of strength but of weakness – at least at first.” (March 3)

When you walk that first mile, when you pull everything out of that first closet, when you deny yourself that first dessert – it’s hard. It seems to get worse before it gets better. You feel overwhelmed by the enormity of what you have started. There may be physical pain involved. I look at all those green sprouts in my garden and wonder if I have lost my mind.

But I will not let this inertia, my ignorance, or those weeds win. Because, as concerned as I could be about those sprouts which aren’t sugar snaps, the amazing and wonderful thing is that some of the sprouts are sugar snaps. God is growing something in my garden. It is their presence which makes me aware of the presence of the unwanted stuff. It is the desire for the sugar snaps to grow and thrive and bear fruit which motivates me to pull up the crabgrass and clover.

And we all have a friend who is excellent at weeding, who has offered to help. Perhaps I should ask Him. I know that He can distinguish between the wanted and unwanted sprouts.

But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything. John 14:26

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Betsy

How much more will your father in Heaven give His Spirit to His children. Luke 11:13

Every day, I go out and look at the ground. I stare at the tilled soil inside my fence, but it looks no different today than it did yesterday. I planted the seeds, but nothing seems to be happening. Is this working? Did I do it wrong? Were the seeds not right? Did the snow kill them? Did I labor in vain?

I vaguely remember some elementary school text book teaching me about the germination process. If I put the seed into an environment of tilled soil, ample water and sufficient nutrients, it will come alive, send down roots, and push a sprout through the dirt, reaching for the sun.

Supposedly. I can’t see it. I can’t really dig up the ground and check; that would probably disrupt the process. I just have to trust that this process is taking place.

Trust, and add water. As soon as the seeds are in the ground, I hook up the hose and soak the planted area with water. Every day. Nothing happens without water. Nothing happens without prayer. Nothing happens without God. Even if I can’t see it while it’s happening. I have to have faith that God is transforming that seed in secret. It reminds me of my Christmas sweater.

In the late ’90s, I saw a sweater that read, “Dear Santa, I want it all!” I loved it! So funny, so fun! After Christmas, I went to the store and bought one, packing it away for the next year. Over that year, God really challenged me on my finances; where was I spending my money and why. He challenged me to distinguish between need and greed. I don’t remember any “Ah ha!” moments or blinding lights, but when I unpacked that sweater the next year, I found it disgusting! So greedy, so gross! In secret, without even my own knowledge, God had transformed me.

But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:6

Transformation does not occur through the constant barrage of media, my tireless pursuit of entertainment, or my endless activities. Sometimes I think these things prevent me from considering that little seed of my authentic self. It is only when I spend time in quiet, with God in secret, that He can transform the little seed of me into a better me. It is only when I expose this little seed, in all of its ugliness, to my loving savior that He can transform it. It is only when I spend time with Him that He is able to make me more like Him.

And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Because transformation happens underground, in the quiet, undisturbed soil of my soul. The seed needs an area safe from predators and the elements to first break open its hard shell and expose the fragile tendrils within. The emerging plant needs some undisturbed time to allow its roots to search out the depths before it can think about surfacing. And even then, the transformed seed needs to mature a little before it pushes through the soil to expose itself to the world.

And what a glorious moment that is! Those first little sprigs of sugar snap plants bursting through the ground. Wow! There is joy in every single one of them. Don’t you think God is just as joyful when we allow ourselves to be transformed into all He created us to be?

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:7

So trust in the transformation. Put the little seed of yourself into God’s hands. And the God who sees in secret will reward you in secret.

Betsy

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Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

As I put my first seeds in the ground, it’s as if an alarm sounds, the puck drops, the ball is tossed at center court.  I am in battle. The birds watch me intently from their perches; the bunnies peer longingly from the hedges; the neighbor’s dog strains at her leash; even the grass seems to lean in as if to recover lost territory. They covet the seeds, the young plants, the fertile ground.

No! Stay away!  This is my garden. This is the space I have set aside and you are not welcome here. This is not unkind or selfish; the birds and bunnies have the rest of the yard; the dog can play elsewhere; the grass has plenty of territory. This space is dedicated to nurturing those sugar snap seeds into fruit bearing plants. You need to stay out; I need a fence.

I have over 150 yards of wire fencing, in manageable segments, folded and flattened in my garage. I take what I need into the yard, unfold and re-flatten it by stepping on it, then stretch it between the poles around my seeds. (It’s my own personal work out session – works the legs and the arms!) The fence keeps most two and four legged creatures from invading my garden. I even cover the seeded area with fencing – birds love those seeds!

Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. Matthew 21:33

I went to a youth service once where we were asked to leave our cell phones and shoes at the door; the chapel was a space set aside to honor God. Same idea.

Several people I know have permanent fencing around square-shaped gardens, a good solution if you have the space.  Some terrain makes fencing unworkable; the farmers use terracing and edging and repellent plants to protect the space. What fencing looks like varies person to person and changes over time.  What stays the same is the need to protect the space.

Because there are predators out there who want to steal the seeds you plant and chew up whatever you are growing. There are invaders out there who don’t like you having space from which they are excluded.

So when you have set aside a time to meet with God, when you have prepared your heart to receive the seeds He’s planting, protect that space from predators and invaders. Turn off the phone; turn off the TV; train your brain to stay in the moment. Use the tools available – the Bible, a journal, a devotional book, an inspirational book – whatever it takes to give God dedicated space in your life. 

Sometimes that takes saying, “no.” Jesus did.

At daybreak he departed and to a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, “I must proclaim the news of the kingdom of God to other cities.” Luke 4:42-43

Saying “no” is not always selfish or lazy; sometimes it is prioritizing God’s will for my life.  Sometimes saying no is a way to keep the predators and invaders out.

Recently, the image of a stone garden wall had captivated my imagination. Stone walls were the traditional barriers around gardens and homes, towns and temples. They are built of stones carefully placed one upon the other.

If I am a temple of the Holy Spirit, as Paul asserts in I Corinthians 6:19, then I should protect that temple at least as much as I protect my garden. I need to build a stone wall around my soul. Each Bible verse that I memorize and internalize becomes a stone that builds up the wall protecting the Holy Spirit’s residence in my life. Each verse is a stone carefully placed one upon another. That protective stone wall enables the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in my life. And that is a beautiful thing.

I have included scripture at the bottom of each post. These are some of my “stones.” As of today, there is a page available in the side (or bottom) menu called “My garden wall” containing verses which have encouraged, strengthened, calmed and protected me through the years.

Then Satan answered the Lord. “Does Job fear God for nothing?  Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side?  You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.  Job 1:9-10

Are you protecting your garden? Are you keeping the invaders and predators out? Are you building up your garden wall with stones of faith? I encourage you to join me in this effort.

It can be a workout, but it’s worth it.

Betsy

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You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. Deuteronomy 11:18